Zeal for ‘Xena’ on Display at Burbank Gathering

Warrior princesses who vanquish evil never really die. Their resurrection is popping out of a three-tiered cake at a Burbank convention center wearing go-go get-ups and wigs.

Xena’s back, baby. Her best bud, Gabrielle, too. While mere mortals thought they vanished in 2001, when syndicated “Xena: Warrior Princess” wrapped up its six television seasons, devotees of the chakram-hurling heroines partied on Saturday at their annual Xena love fest, just like they’ve done for at least the last eight years.

Those not attending the three-day convention, which drew more than 1,000 devotees, might stifle a smirk and ask: Why? “I enjoy watching women kick butt,” said Mary Hines, 42, a volunteer for Creation Entertainment, which runs the event. “I never could stand weak females on TV. I was always like: Why wait for the guy to come save you?”

The name “Xena” was more a euphemism for girl power than the Spice Girls. After the show’s 1995 debut in syndication, Lucy Lawless (Xena) and Renee O’Connor (Gabrielle) galloped into pop culture. Producers Rob Tapert and “Spider-Man” director Sam Raimi, among others, steeped story lines with mythology that sparked cultish devotion.

During a trip to New Zealand, Lawless’ homeland, then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was quoted as saying: “One of my role models, Xena the Warrior Princess, comes from here.”

Xena’s fandom is smaller than that of “Star Trek,” whose Los Angeles convention draws 8,000 disciples, but is almost double the 1,000 people who flock to “Farscape” affairs, says a Creation Entertainment spokeswoman.

And this weekend marked a decade since the show’s birth -- hence, Lawless and O’Connor popping out of the cake. Both still ply the acting trade, with parts in movies and TV.

At the Burbank Airport Hilton, half-sheet fliers advertised a “Xenites Gathering!” to “Meet new fanatics!” Vendors hawked 8-by-10 glossies of the show’s stars. For a frame and signatures on a photo of the gals in near-lip lock, fork over $90. Those less flush with cash grabbed $15 scripts, $30 laptop cases or a TV Guide from June 16, 2001. Lawless, of course, graces the cover.

Wendy Gamble, 34, may have crafted a Xena-themed Monopoly game, in which Boardwalk is the Elysian Fields. But “I hesitate to wear the ‘Xena’ get-ups -- I don’t want to get lumped with the enthusiasts,” said the court clerk from Denver.

Still, she returned five or six times for the camaraderie; her buddies nod in accord. Women, they say, view the series as two gals whose friendship endures ancient Greece and Hades. Women who get Xena get each other. They congregate.

Texans Wendy Woody, 36, and Deborah Abbott, 37, met at a prior convention -- “the year I was dressed in chains,” said Abbott, a Xena convention veteran and dead ringer for Lawless. The women offered another theory about the warrior princess’ longevity: Xena’s creators are stringing fans along. Her final episode -- including her brutal death -- left some fans disgruntled. They hunger for Xena on the silver screen.

“Until they see a film, they won’t admit it’s over,” Abbott insisted.

“They won’t watch that episode, they won’t talk about it,” said Woody.

“It’s like their best friend passed away,” Abbott said.

Go figure: “Xena” was a spinoff of the television series “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.” The shows once held their conventions in tandem. But poor Herc doesn’t merit a role at the event anymore, despite being the world’s strongest man.